Pros
If you are new to the finance industry then Wedbush is a good place to start but as another reviewer has said, don't stay too long. I have met some really nice people at Wedbush and they continue to be friends even after leaving the firm. Some of the best people I have met at Wedbush include those in Syndicate, Accounting and Correspondent Services. Another great opportunity has been the birds eye view of the construction of the Wilshire Center next door. It's been great to be able to see the construction of the tallest building on the West Coast. I've learned so much about high rises in the last 18 months and so many Wedbush employees are anxiously awaiting the new tenants in 2017 because they are hoping they will be hiring.
Cons
I'm going to give an overall honest review of Wedbush. Some things will not be very good and some things are just outright distasteful. The biggest issue with Wedbush is the executive management. It's true what many say about the expense reimbursement process, it takes months and I mean several months to get your own money back. The reason is the process which is further aggravated by the person approving the expenses. He chooses to review every expense report in detail and when he is out, the process comes to a complete standstill. There is also infighting amongst the management. This firm is privately own with the CEO and 2 of his 3 adult children having a heavy-handed role in the firm. They conflict constantly on management style and this carries into the work environment with various managers having to take sides to safeguard their careers. There is a complete lack of ethics and respect for FINRA or the SEC. Employees are constantly in fear of the next investigation or if they will be fired because many in the past have been made scapegoats to protect executive management. Workplace bullying and harassment of minorities is so prevalent at Wedbush. Its management is dominated by Caucasian men who are also the top recipients of high wages and bonuses. I have seen multiple qualified hard-working minorities and women just simply passed up for promotion. There is also a huge wage gap amongst white men and the "rest" of the folks. I can't go into details of how much but over the years I have worked at Wedbush, its apparent this is the norm. To anyone who “plans” to have a career at Wedbush Securities, I wish you luck and please plan. I’m not saying that one can’t be successful at Wedbush but unless you are one of the “chosen”, you will face a long and arduous rode ahead. You career path is chosen for you base on who you align with and not on your accomplishments. I have met many people who are “lifers” at Wedbush and they are either content to be getting a paycheck or they are bitter because their careers have gone nowhere. Wedbush is not very progressive and refuses to invest money or time to keep up with the changing business environment and that is why they haven’t grown and prosper as they have. I have been with Wedbush since the late 1990’s and have seen so many missed opportunities for phenomenal growth. The first reason is that the executive management just isn’t capable of making astute decisions and lack market knowledge. The second reason is that the executive management chooses the wrong people to put in management. These senior managers are mostly friends and have no interest in seeing a prosperous environment as long as they get their paycheck.